System and method for collecting and transmitting medical data

ABSTRACT

A system and method for collecting and transmitting medical and health-related data over a network are disclosed. A measuring device measures a user&#39;s physiological attribute and produces a first signal related thereto, which an integration system coupled to the measuring device receives and converts into a second signal for transmitting over the Internet. In accordance with one aspect of a preferred embodiment, the integration system is adapted to read the first signal as it is sent from the measuring device to its display. A communications system transmits the second signal over the Internet to a remote system using any of a variety of techniques known in the art. The remote system extracts the measured physiological attribute and other associated data from the second signal and populates a database. Preferably, a web-based portal provides access to the data for one or more users.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/636,164, filed on Aug. 6, 2003 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,616,which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/724,721,filed on Nov. 28, 2000 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,984, which isbased on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/168,942, filedon Dec. 3, 1999.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to systems for collecting and transmitting medicaland health-related data over a network.

The healthcare industry is the largest sector of this nation's economy,comprising over one trillion dollars, or roughly 13% of the grossdomestic product (GDP). Because of increasing healthcare costs, it isdesirable to reduce overhead, free hospitals beds, and increasecompliance with treatment. Remote medical data monitoring devices aredirected precisely at those goals.

Accordingly, advances in healthcare and medical devices are increasinglyrequired to meets the needs of an aging population. For example, medicalindustry experts predict that the demand for medical data monitoringsystems will drastically increase over the next decade. Existingmonitoring systems, however, fall short of satisfying customers' needsin several ways.

Some remote monitoring systems have been designed to allow patients totransmit their medical data from their homes. An example of one suchmonitoring system provides a measuring device, such as a blood sugarmonitor, which a patient uses to measure a physiological attribute. Thepatient then enters the measurements taken by the device into themonitoring system, which transmits the data over phone lines or theInternet. Obvious drawbacks of this system are reliability of data andease of use. Due to human error, users will sometimes enter incorrectdata. Because it is not connected to the measuring device, themonitoring system is incapable of detecting or correcting the error, andthe database is therefore corrupted. Further, it is inconvenient, andperhaps difficult for some users, to manually enter data. Other existingdevices are inadequate because they are not easily expanded, cannot workwith multiple users or devices, or are encumbered by physical wireconnections.

SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Accordingly, a system for collecting and transmitting medical andhealth-related data over a network is provided. In one preferredembodiment, the system comprises a measuring device that measures aphysiological attribute and produces a first signal related thereto, anintegration system coupled to the measuring device that receives thefirst signal from the measuring device and converts it into a secondsignal for transmitting over the Internet, a communications system thattransmits the second signal over the Internet, and a remote system thatreceives the second signal. In accordance with one aspect of thepreferred embodiment, the integration system is adapted to read thefirst signal as it is sent from the measuring device to its display. Inaccordance with one aspect of the preferred embodiment, the remotesystem extracts the measured physiological attribute from the secondsignal and populates a database with that data. In accordance withanother aspect of the preferred embodiment, a web-based portal isprovided for accessing the database over the Internet.

In another preferred embodiment, a method is disclosed for collectingand transmitting medical and health-related data over a network. Themethod includes the steps of collecting the data by sensing anelectrical signal from a measuring device, converting the electricalsignal for transmitting over the network, and transmitting the data to aremote system.

In another preferred embodiment, several measuring devices are adaptedto measure physiological attributes and produce corresponding signalsrelating thereto, an integration system receives the signals andconverts them into a format that a communications system transmits overthe network, and a remote system coupled to the network receives thedata. In accordance with one aspect of the preferred embodiment, thesignals include unique user identifiers that associate each datum withan individual user, thereby allowing the system to maintain data formultiple users and multiple devices.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom consideration of the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system according to a preferredembodiment.

FIGS. 2 a-c are block diagrams of interfaces between the measurementdevice and the integration system according to corresponding preferredembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the system according to another preferredembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A system for collecting and transmitting data over a network is hereindescribed. In particular, the system is described as applied to thecollection and transmission of medical data from one or more measuringdevices; however, it will become apparent to persons skilled in the artthat the teachings of this disclosure can be applied to other fields.

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram is provided showing the fundamentalaspects of the system. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of thesystem, a measuring device, integration system, communications system,and remote system are provided. The measuring device measures apredetermined datum or data, which the integration system then acquiresand formats for the communication system. The communications systemprovides an interface for transmitting the data across a network—e.g.,the Internet—to the remote system, which then records the data forsubsequent processing.

The measuring device may be any type of device that takes at least onemeasurement and converts it into one or more electrical signals.Preferably, the measuring device comprises a microprocessor that sendsthe electrical signals to a digital display, which then displays themeasurement. A variety of existing medical devices can act as themeasuring device in conjunction with this system, including weightscales, body fat measuring devices, blood glucose monitors, coumadinmonitors, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, and variousfitness equipment. As well known in the art, Coumadin is the brand namefor the generic drug warfarin.

The integration system is specifically adapted to acquire themeasurement from the particular measuring device. As the types ofmeasuring devices that may be used with this system vary, so do thepossible techniques for acquiring data from the devices. One method ofcapturing data from the measuring devices is illustrated in FIG. 2 a, inwhich the measuring device comprises a processor and a digital display.The processor and display are electrically coupled by a plurality oflines, the number of lines being dictated by the design of the measuringdevice. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 a, the integration system isconnected to the measuring device in parallel with the microprocessorand display. The integrated system can thus “tap” into the measuringdevice—either from the output pins or socket of the processor, the inputpins or socket of the display, or anywhere along the cable or tracesbetween the processor and display. The integration system is preferablydesigned so that, when connected in parallel to the measuring device asdescribed, it does not degrade the electrical signal and cause thedisplay to read an incorrect value.

Alternatively, the integration system can be electrically coupled to themeasuring device in series with the processor and display, as diagramedin FIG. 2 b. In this embodiment, the integration system is adapted toreceive the electrical signals directly from the processor. Theintegration system is further adapted to supply the electrical signalsto the display of the measuring device. In accordance with yet anotherembodiment, shown in FIG. 2 c, the display of the measuring device andthe integration system are each connected directly to the processor.This method is suitable for measuring devices that include an extra portfrom which the data is accessible. In this embodiment, the electricalsignals sent from the processor to the display may be different fromthose sent to the integration system.

Typically, the electrical signals tapped by the integration system asdescribed above are multiplexed signals sent to a digital display, suchas an LCD or LED display. Depending on the design of the measuringdevice and its display, the integration system includes hardware and/orsoftware for determining the data from the plurality of electricalsignals using techniques known in the art. For example, the integrationsystem may include a network of logic gates for decoding anddemultiplexing the signals from the digital display of the measuringdevice. Alternatively, the integration system can include amicroprocessor programmed to decode the data from the signals. It can beappreciated that the integration system must be specifically designedfor each type of measuring device because the formats of the signalswill vary from device to device, and thus the algorithm for retrievingthe data from the signals will likewise vary. The system is thereforehighly adaptable and modular, as almost any type of electrical devicecan be thus tapped for its data.

Using the above techniques, the integration system can be adapted toacquire measurements from an existing OEM measuring device. In such acase, little or no modification of the OEM device's processor would berequired; therefore, it is relatively easy to provide additionalfunctionality for the system by adding different types of measuringdevices. In the case of medical devices, that little or no modificationof the device is required avoids certain FDA requirements for newdevices, allowing the system to enter the marketplace faster. Theintegration system could also be designed in conjunction with a newmeasuring device, in which case it would be possible to provide themeasuring device and integration system in one package.

In accordance with an aspect of a preferred embodiment, the integrationsystem may also include a display for displaying the measurement that itacquired from the measuring device.

The integration system further adds data to the measurement that itretrieves from the measuring device. The integration system appends tothe measurement a unique device identifier (ID). The device ID ispreferably an integer, for example a six-digit number. The device ID isunique to each measuring device, and in some cases it may be readdirectly from the measuring device. In systems where several users sharea measuring device, the integration system preferably further adds aunique user ID to the measurement and device ID, since a device ID alonewould not be sufficient to associate the measurement with a particularuser. The integration system may retrieve the user ID from the measuringdevice if available therefrom, or the user ID may be inputted directlyinto the integration system by the user via a programmable card swipe,keyed input, or any other means known in the art.

The integration system formats the measurement, device ID, and user IDfor transmission to the communications system, to which the integrationsystem is communicatively coupled. In accordance with a preferredembodiment, the integration system formats the measurement, device ID,and user ID as a text string. Alternatively, this data could be encodedusing a standard or a proprietary algorithm. The integration system orthe communications system may also add a time and date stamp to the datato indicate when the measurement was taken.

Although the integration and communication systems can be distinctsystems, they may be implemented as a single unit using shared hardwareand software. Further, this unit may be integral with the measuringdevice, as mentioned above.

The communication system formats the data received from the integrationsystem for transmission over a network to the remote system. In apreferred embodiment, the data are sent over the Internet to the remotesystem. The data can be formatted in any of a variety of appropriateformats known in the art. If sent over the Internet, the data may be putinto any of the established Internet communications protocols. Forexample, a text string containing the data could be inserted into thesubject line or body of an Internet email, which would then be sent to adesired email address. Alternatively, the data could be put into amarkup language such as HTML or XML, be inserted into a file sent overthe network, or sent via a secure protocol such as SHTTP or SSL.

The communications system sends the formatted data to a remote system,which is also communicatively coupled to the network. In accordance withan aspect of a preferred embodiment, the remote system is programmed todetermine the identity of the user to whom the measurement applies usingonly the device ID and/or user ID provided in the transmission.Therefore, it is unnecessary for information of a personal nature to besent over the network. This is highly desirable in the context of, e.g.,medical related data, as such information tends to be of a personalnature. While secure protocols and encryption techniques known in theart may be added to the system, the absence of personal information inthe transmission obviates the need for these additional securitytechniques.

The communications system can be communicatively coupled to the networkusing a variety of methods well known in the art. Preferably, theconnection to the network is effected without physical connections.Wireless communication makes the system more expandable for addingmeasuring devices and the like without the extra confusion of physicalconnections. For example, commercially available two-way pagercommunication systems may be used to provide the network connectioninterface. These commercially available systems are easily modified tointerface with the integration system and may also be advantageouslylocated within the housing of the device. The communications system mayalternatively transmit the data using, e.g., Bluetooth technology orthrough the transmission bands of cellular phones that do not normallycarry voice data. Many other techniques known in the art may also beused to transmit the data. For example, the communications system may becoupled to a computer having a communications link with the network,through, e.g., an ISDN line, cable modem, or DSL. Alternatively, thecommunications system may be linked to the network via a modem and phoneconnection. It is apparent that any of the known techniques fortransmitting the data as described herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts of this disclosure.

Preferably, a data verification algorithm is performed to validate theintegrity of the data packets as they are sent from the communicationssystem to the remote system. One widely used technique is the CyclicRedundancy Check (CRC). In the CRC, a number is calculated from thecontents of a packet using a standard algorithm, and that number is thenappended to the packet in a final field. After the packet istransmitted, the algorithm is performed on the received packet, and thenumerical result is compared to the contents of the CRC field. If thecalculated result is not equal to the value of the CRC field, the packetis discarded because the packet received is not identical to the packetsent. The CRC is preferred because it is a very powerful and easilyimplemented technique for ensuring data reliability; however, it shouldbe understood that any known data checking technique can be used withthe present system, and CRC is described by way of example.

The remote system is adapted to receive and decode the data transmittedfrom the communications system over the network. For example, in thecase where the data is sent as a text string in the subject line of anInternet email, the remote system would first extract the string. Theremote system would then parse the string to retrieve the data, whichwould then be placed in an appropriate database for receiving suchinformation. The remote system could also add a time and date stamp tothe data to indicate when it was received by the remote system andstored in the database. Preferably, the remote system sends aconfirmation message to the communications system that indicates whetherthe data was received or whether it needs to be resent.

Once the measurement data collected by the remote system is insertedinto one or more databases, the remote system may then provide a portalfor accessing the data. In accordance with one embodiment, a computersystem provides a web-based portal for viewing the data in a securemanner. To optimize performance, the portal might employ a secondarydatabase keyed to individual users. The user or other authorized personcould log into the portal using a web browser from any computer in theworld connected to the Internet. By entering a user name and password,the person could access the data and any other functionality that theportal provides. Advantageously, the portal could includeadvertisements, and these advertisements could be highly targetedbecause the content of the information being accessed is known.

Referring to an example in which the data is medical related, a patientwould be able to access his or her medical profile from any web browser.This medical profile would include the data measured by the medicalmeasuring device. The profile could also be made accessible to thepatient's physician, other medical personnel, and perhaps the patient'sinsurance company. The profile could also be tailored and formatted forwhich party accesses the information, as it may be desirable to limitsome information provided to third parties. The patient's medicalprofile could be useful, e.g., in determining the patient's compliancewith a prescribed medical regimen.

In one exemplary embodiment, the system is adapted to provide patientswith fertility counseling. The measuring device is a fertilitythermometer, and individual patients would take readings from thethermometer at regular intervals. After sufficient data is acquired bythe remote system, a patient could access the portal to view her medicalprofile, which might include, e.g., a graph of the temperature readingsover the fertility cycle. The portal might also provide the patient withcounseling, such as a time period of greatest fertility during thecycle.

As explained, the system can be adapted to accommodate several measuringdevices, which may be desired when a user has several physicalattributes to be monitored. Also, a plurality of measuring devicesserving several users would be desired in a system for monitoring thefitness progress of members of a health club. In such a system, one ormore of the measuring devices would be fitness machines. The systemcould be adapted to provide club members with access to their individualfitness profiles using a terminal at the club or, perhaps, from theirhomes via the Internet.

FIG. 3 illustrates how such a system can be configured. According to apreferred embodiment, a plurality of measuring devices are provided.Each measuring device is connected to an integration system, which isadapted to extract data from the associated measuring device asexplained above with reference to FIG. 1. After a measurement is takenby a measuring device, the corresponding integration system then addsthe unique device and user IDs to the data, formats it, and transmits itto a central communications system. Upon receiving a measurement from anintegration system, the communications system transmits the data to theremote system via the network, as described above with reference to FIG.1.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in thedrawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular formdisclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

1. A system for collecting and transmitting medical and health-relateddata of at least one user over the Internet, the system comprising: awarfarin monitor adapted to measure at least one physiological attributeof a user, comprising: a digital display adapted to display thephysiological attribute measurement of the user; and a processor adaptedto output a first signal to the digital display, wherein the firstsignal is related to the physiological attribute measurement of theuser; an integration system adapted to acquire the first signal from themeasuring warfarin monitor such that the first signal is not degradedcausing the digital display to read an incorrect value, and adapted toconvert the first signal into a second signal for wireless transmissionover a network; a communications system adapted to wirelessly transmitthe second signal over the network; and a remote system communicativelycoupled to the network and adapted to receive the second signal.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the integration system is coupled to thewarfarin monitor in parallel with the processor and the display.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the integration system is coupled to thewarfarin monitor in series with the processor and the display.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the integration system is adapted to add aunique device identifier to the second signal, the device identifieruniquely identifying the warfarin monitor.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the communications system is adapted to encode the second signalfor transmission over the network.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein theremote system comprises: a computer system adapted to extract from thesecond signal the measured physiological attribute and the deviceidentifier; and a database; wherein the computer system populates thedatabase with the measured physiological attribute and deviceidentifier.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the integration systemadds a unique user identifier to the second signal, and wherein thecomputer system extracts the user identifier from the encoded secondsignal and populates the database with the user identifier.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the integration system includes a seconddisplay for visually representing the physiological attribute asindicated by the first signal.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein thesecond signal is a text string.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thecommunications system is adapted to encode the second signal fortransmission over the network.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein theintegration system adds a unique user identifier to the second signal.12. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications system is adaptedto receive a receipt message wirelessly transmitted from the remotesystem after the remote system receives the second signal.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the integration system and the communicationssystem are built on a same second processor.
 14. The system of claim 1,further comprising a web-based portal adapted to allow users to accessthe data over the network.